The Post Office Protocol (POP), more commonly known as POP3 to denote the third version of the protocol, provides a way for electronic messaging programs such as Outlook and Mozilla to interface with a central, remote message repository. Oftentimes, a user may not continuously have the messaging program up, running and connected to the repository for number of reasons, for example, the user may use a mobile computer that is not always connected to a server; the user may power down the computer when its not being used; or the computer may periodically enter a power saving mode. POP3 provides a simple interface such that messages may be retrieved from a central message server and manipulated at a local computer at the user's leisure. POP3 assumes that most users will delete messages from the central server as they are retrieved.
On the other hand, some messaging applications, such as Gmail from Google Inc., are designed with the assumption that a user will leave all messages on the server. Gmail provides a web-based interface to a central repository of messages that the user can access and manipulate in accordance with a novel, conversation-based approach. The conversation and search features provided in Gmail are designed to work with the entire corpus of the user's messages.
What is needed are systems and methods which overcome the opposing goals of POP3 implementing applications and messaging applications designed to access a very large message repository when both access the same message repository.